EP2580811B1 - A node in a communication system with switchable antenna functions - Google Patents
A node in a communication system with switchable antenna functions Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2580811B1 EP2580811B1 EP10724510.2A EP10724510A EP2580811B1 EP 2580811 B1 EP2580811 B1 EP 2580811B1 EP 10724510 A EP10724510 A EP 10724510A EP 2580811 B1 EP2580811 B1 EP 2580811B1
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- antenna
- state
- node
- radio
- radio chain
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- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 title claims description 18
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 3
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005265 energy consumption Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005457 optimization Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
- H01Q3/24—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/28—Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/29—Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
- H01Q3/26—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
- H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
- H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
- H04B7/0408—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
- H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
- H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
- H04B7/0413—MIMO systems
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
- H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
- H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
- H04B7/06—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station
- H04B7/0613—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station using simultaneous transmission
- H04B7/0615—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station using simultaneous transmission of weighted versions of same signal
- H04B7/0617—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station using simultaneous transmission of weighted versions of same signal for beam forming
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
- H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
- H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
- H04B7/06—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station
- H04B7/0686—Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission
- H04B7/0689—Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04B—TRANSMISSION
- H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
- H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
- H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
- H04B7/06—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station
- H04B7/0686—Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission
- H04B7/0691—Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission using subgroups of transmit antennas
- H04B7/0693—Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission using subgroups of transmit antennas switching off a diversity branch, e.g. to save power
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L5/00—Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
- H04L5/003—Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
- H04L5/0048—Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a node in a wireless communication system, the node comprising at least a first antenna function, a second antenna function, a first radio chain and a second radio chain. At least at the start of a first mode of operation, each antenna function is connected to a corresponding radio chain.
- the present invention also relates to a method in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the step: at the start of a first mode of operation, connecting antenna functions to corresponding radio chains, each antenna function being connected to a corresponding radio chain.
- a well-known way of increasing the capacity in communication systems is to integrate more than one antenna and radio chain, both at the base stations and at the user terminals, and use so-called MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output).
- MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output
- a user terminal such as a mobile phone is mostly used for voice communication, but a clear trend is that more and more people are using their mobile phones for data applications, e.g. streaming movies and music, chat, and the Internet in other ways.
- data applications e.g. streaming movies and music, chat, and the Internet in other ways.
- One problem with mobile phones is that their battery capacity is relatively limited, and it is therefore needed to recharge the mobile phone battery frequently.
- the power consumption will increase and the battery must be recharged even more frequently. There is therefore a need for reducing the power consumption to increase the time between charging.
- the carbon-dioxide "footprint" of the device will be smaller.
- WO 2009/080110 and US 2008/0238807 describe a device that combines two antenna elements using a beam-forming network and thereby optimizing the antenna gain and polarization to the environment.
- the number of antennas and the number of active radios are fixed.
- a mobile phone, or another wireless broadband device constituting a user terminal, in a MIMO system may experience a rank-one channel or have no need for high data rates.
- the propagation channel often only supports one stream, unless both ends of the link have dual polarized antennas. In such cases, the user terminal can not, or does not, need to utilize multiple streams.
- nodes such as base stations and repeater stations. There is thus a need for a more efficient use of antennas and radio chains in a node.
- the object of the present invention is to obtain a more efficient use of antennas and radio chains in a node. Said object is achieved by means of a node in a wireless communication system, the node comprising at least a first antenna function, a second antenna function, a first radio chain and a second radio chain. At least at the start of a first mode of operation, each antenna function is connected to a corresponding radio chain.
- the node further comprises a switching network and a beamforming network, which switching network, at least at the start of a second mode of operation, is arranged to disconnect at least one antenna function from its corresponding radio chain and connect said at least one disconnected antenna function to another of said corresponding radio chains via at least a part of the beamforming network, such that at least two antenna functions are connected to the same radio chain and said disconnected radio chain is turned off, at least at the start of the second mode of operation.
- the node is arranged to perform beamforming for said at least two antenna functions by means of said beamforming network, the switching network being arranged to switch between the first mode and the second mode. Said object is also achieved by means of a method in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps:
- the number of radio chains and antenna functions is equal, where, in the first mode of operation, only one antenna function is connected to each radio chain.
- the beamforming network comprises at least one phase shifter and/or at least one attenuator.
- the node further comprises a control unit which is arranged to control the switching network and the beamforming network.
- those radio chains from which an antenna function is disconnected are turned off.
- the first mode of operation corresponds to MIMO, Multiple Input Multiple Output, communication.
- the main advantage with the invention is that the energy consumption for mobile phones and other types of nodes is reduced. At the same time, the possibilities to exploit performance-enhancing technologies for multi-antennas are available.
- a user terminal 1 in a wireless communication system comprising a first antenna function 2, a second antenna function 3, a first radio chain 4 and a second radio chain 5.
- the user terminal 1 further comprises a switching network 6 and a beamforming network 7, where the switching network 6 comprises a first switch 8.
- the user terminal also comprises a second switch 9b.
- Each switch 8, 9b may each be in any of two states, a first state or a second state. The first state is indicated by a dashed line and the second state is indicated by a solid line.
- the beamforming network 7 comprises a first connection 7a and a second connection 7b, where the first connection 7a is connected to the switching network 6 and the second connection 7b is connected to the second switch 9b.
- the first switch 8 In its first state, the first switch 8 connects the first antenna function 2 to the first radio chain 4, and in its second state, the first switch 8 connects the first antenna function 2 to the first connection 7a of the beamforming network 7.
- the second switch 9b disconnects the second connection 7b of the beamforming network 7 from both the second antenna 3 and the second radio chain 5, and in its second state, the second switch 9b connects the second connection 7b of the beamforming network 7 to both the second antenna 3 and the second radio chain 5.
- each switch 8, 9b is in its first state such that the first antenna function 2 is connected to the first radio chain 4 and disconnected from the beamforming network 7, and the second antenna function 3 is connected to second radio chain 5.
- the second connection 7b of the beamforming network 7 is disconnected from the second antenna 3 and the second radio chain 5.
- each switch 8, 9b is in its second state such that the first antenna function 2 is connected to the first connection 7a of the beamforming network 7 and disconnected from the first radio chain 4, and the second connection 7b of the beamforming network 7 is connected to the second antenna 3 and the second radio chain 5.
- the antenna functions 2, 3 are connected to the same radio chain 5, and by means of the beamforming network 7 the user terminal 1 is arranged to perform beamforming for the antenna functions 2, 3.
- the switching network 6 is arranged to switch between the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.
- the beamforming network 7 comprises a phase shifter 9, where a control unit 10 is arranged to control these via a first control connection 12.
- the control unit is further arranged to control the switching network 6 and the second switch 9b via a corresponding second control connection 11 and third control connection 13.
- the control unit 10 is arranged to perform control in dependence of the channel, where the control unit 10 is connected to the first radio chain 4 and the second radio chain 5 via a corresponding fourth control connection 14 and fifth control connection 15.
- the user terminal 1 is in the first mode of operation and transmits, or receives, reference signals via both antenna functions 2, 3 separately.
- the control unit 10 can decide to switch off the first radio chain 4, and connect both antenna functions 2, 3 to the second radio chain 5 in accordance with the second mode of operation.
- the second mode of operation comprises:
- the second mode of operation thus comprises switching back to the first mode of operation for relatively short time periods in order to transmit or receive reference signals via both antenna functions 2, 3 separately in short time bursts.
- control unit 10 can choose to switch back to the first mode of operation.
- control unit 10 can choose to switch to the second mode of operation until higher data rates are required.
- a user wants to have low power consumption in the user terminal 1 and therefore manually decides to always use the second mode of operation.
- Figure 2 exemplifies how the beamforming network can be used when the user terminal is working according to the second mode of operation, which means that both antenna functions 2, 3 are connected to the second radio chain 5.
- the user terminal represented by its radiation pattern 23, is communicating with a first base station 24 and receives an interference signal from a second base station 25.
- the phase shifter 9 is used to steer the resulting radiation pattern 23 of the two antenna functions such that it faces the first base station 24 and faces away from the second base station 25, which will be discussed more in detail below.
- phase settings of the phase shifter 9 are tested, which will result in different shapes of the radiation pattern 23. It is desirable to achieve a radiation pattern that has high gain towards the first base station 24, which the user terminal communicates with, and low gain towards the second base station 25 that interferes with the user terminal. The performance of the communication link between the first base station 24 and the user terminal is improved significantly.
- An alternative way to find the phase setting is to use numerical optimization to maximize the SINR, e.g. a gradient search.
- rank indicator or CQI may be used to check the quality of the communication link.
- the present invention can be implemented in any wireless device that has more than one antenna and more than one radio. For example, if there are four antenna functions and four radio chains, all four antenna functions could be connected to one radio chain while three radio chains are turned off and thus energy is saved. Another alternative is to connect two antenna functions to one radio chain and the two remaining antenna functions to another radio while two radio chains are turned off to save energy.
- a node such as a user terminal 1' comprises a first antenna function 15, a second antenna function 16, a third antenna function 17 and a fourth antenna function 18.
- the node further comprises a switching network 6' and a beamforming network 7' and also a first radio chain 19, a second radio chain 20, a third radio chain 21 and a fourth radio chain 22.
- the node 1' also comprises a control unit as in the first example above, which is not shown for reasons of clarity.
- the second switch of the first example should be understood to be implemented in the beamforming network 7', which of course will be constituted by three switches here.
- first state corresponds to the first mode of operation according to the first example above and the second state and third state correspond to the second mode of operation according to the first example above
- control alternatives discussed above regarding control of the switching network are of course applicable for the second example, as well as for any configuration which uses the present invention.
- a radio in a mobile phone 1 is equivalent to reducing the SINR on that antenna port in a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) system. Therefore, a mobile system utilizing MIMO communication regards this as if the number of possible streams is reduced and acts accordingly. Therefore, the proposed concept implemented in a user terminal 1 does not require any changes in the mobile system.
- MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output
- the present invention also refers to a method in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps:
- the first mode of operation corresponds to MIMO communication.
- phase shifter An extension to using just one phase shifter is to use two phase shifters and a hybrid combiner in a configuration as the "phase-to-power converter". In this way, both the phase and amplitude of the two antenna functions can be controlled by the means of two phase shifters.
- the beamforming network 7, 7' may have any suitable form and may comprise any suitable components in dependence of the number of antenna functions and radio chains.
- the beamforming network 7 is shown comprising an attenuator 9a.
- the switching network 6 is described as only comprising one switch 8. Of course the number and configuration of switches in the switching network 6 may vary in dependence of the number of antenna functions and radio chains.
- the switches may be realized in any suitable technology, preferably semiconductor technology.
- a node may refer to any type of user terminal such as a mobile phone or a laptop.
- a node may also refer to any type of installation such as a base station or repeater station.
- the second switch 9b is used for isolating the second antenna function 3 from the second connection 7b of the beamforming network 7. This isolation may not be necessary, and may also be accomplished in other suitable ways.
- the second switch or corresponding switches may, as indicated in the second example, be comprised in the beamforming network 7'.
- the switching network 6 and the beamforming network 7, 7' may be comprised in one common unit.
- control alternatives discussed regarding how to control the switch states are only examples of how such a control may be performed. Many other types of control are of course conceivable.
- the present invention relates to switching off one or more radios in a node, while maintaining the benefits of having access to all antennas. How the beamforming or combining of the antennas is performed is not within the scope of the present invention, although some examples regarding how to find the desired phase settings are provided in the description. These should of course only be regarded as examples. There should be at least two antenna functions and at least two radio chains in the node.
- an antenna function may be constituted by a small meandered transmission line, and in a base station it may comprise an array antenna.
Description
- The present invention relates to a node in a wireless communication system, the node comprising at least a first antenna function, a second antenna function, a first radio chain and a second radio chain. At least at the start of a first mode of operation, each antenna function is connected to a corresponding radio chain.
- The present invention also relates to a method in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the step: at the start of a first mode of operation, connecting antenna functions to corresponding radio chains, each antenna function being connected to a corresponding radio chain.
- The use of mobile phones and wireless broadband devices has increased rapidly during the last decade, and it is expected to grow even faster during coming years. To meet these demands, operators must increase the capacity in their communication systems.
- A well-known way of increasing the capacity in communication systems is to integrate more than one antenna and radio chain, both at the base stations and at the user terminals, and use so-called MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output).
- Today, a user terminal such as a mobile phone is mostly used for voice communication, but a clear trend is that more and more people are using their mobile phones for data applications, e.g. streaming movies and music, chat, and the Internet in other ways. One problem with mobile phones is that their battery capacity is relatively limited, and it is therefore needed to recharge the mobile phone battery frequently. In the future when more radio chains will be integrated in the terminals, the power consumption will increase and the battery must be recharged even more frequently. There is therefore a need for reducing the power consumption to increase the time between charging. In addition the carbon-dioxide "footprint" of the device will be smaller.
-
WO 2009/080110 andUS 2008/0238807 describe a device that combines two antenna elements using a beam-forming network and thereby optimizing the antenna gain and polarization to the environment. However, the number of antennas and the number of active radios are fixed.
A mobile phone, or another wireless broadband device constituting a user terminal, in a MIMO system may experience a rank-one channel or have no need for high data rates. For example, in line-of-sight scenarios between a user terminal and a base station, the propagation channel often only supports one stream, unless both ends of the link have dual polarized antennas. In such cases, the user terminal can not, or does not, need to utilize multiple streams. - A similar situation is present in other types of nodes such as base stations and repeater stations.
There is thus a need for a more efficient use of antennas and radio chains in a node. - The object of the present invention is to obtain a more efficient use of antennas and radio chains in a node.
Said object is achieved by means of a node in a wireless communication system, the node comprising at least a first antenna function, a second antenna function, a first radio chain and a second radio chain. At least at the start of a first mode of operation, each antenna function is connected to a corresponding radio chain. The node further comprises a switching network and a beamforming network, which switching network, at least at the start of a second mode of operation, is arranged to disconnect at least one antenna function from its corresponding radio chain and connect said at least one disconnected antenna function to another of said corresponding radio chains via at least a part of the beamforming network, such that at least two antenna functions are connected to the same radio chain and said disconnected radio chain is turned off, at least at the start of the second mode of operation. The node is arranged to perform beamforming for said at least two antenna functions by means of said beamforming network, the switching network being arranged to switch between the first mode and the second mode.
Said object is also achieved by means of a method in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps: - at the start of a first mode of operation, connecting antenna functions to corresponding radio chains, each antenna function being connected to a corresponding radio chain;
- at the start of a second mode of operation, disconnecting at least one antenna function from its corresponding radio chain and turning off said corresponding radio chain; connecting said at least one disconnected antenna function to another of said corresponding radio chains via at least a part of a beamforming network, such that at least two antenna functions at the second mode of operation are connected to the same radio chain; and
- using said beamforming network to perform beamforming for said at least two antenna functions.
- According to an example, the number of radio chains and antenna functions is equal, where, in the first mode of operation, only one antenna function is connected to each radio chain.
- According to another example, the beamforming network comprises at least one phase shifter and/or at least one attenuator.
- According to another example, the node further comprises a control unit which is arranged to control the switching network and the beamforming network.
- According to another example, those radio chains from which an antenna function is disconnected, are turned off.
- According to another example, the first mode of operation corresponds to MIMO, Multiple Input Multiple Output, communication.
- Other examples are disclosed in the dependent claims.
- The main advantage with the invention is that the energy consumption for mobile phones and other types of nodes is reduced. At the same time, the possibilities to exploit performance-enhancing technologies for multi-antennas are available.
- The present invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the appended drawings, where:
- Figure 1
- schematically shows a first example of a node according to the present invention;
- Figure 2
- shows a polar antenna radiation diagram showing the function of the present invention;
- Figure 3
- schematically shows a second example of a node according to the present invention; and
- Figure 4
- shows a flow chart of a method according to the present invention.
- With reference to
Figure 1 , showing a first example, there is auser terminal 1 in a wireless communication system, theuser terminal 1 comprising afirst antenna function 2, asecond antenna function 3, afirst radio chain 4 and asecond radio chain 5. - According to the present invention, the
user terminal 1 further comprises a switching network 6 and abeamforming network 7, where the switching network 6 comprises afirst switch 8. The user terminal also comprises asecond switch 9b. Eachswitch - The
beamforming network 7 comprises afirst connection 7a and asecond connection 7b, where thefirst connection 7a is connected to the switching network 6 and thesecond connection 7b is connected to thesecond switch 9b. - In its first state, the
first switch 8 connects thefirst antenna function 2 to thefirst radio chain 4, and in its second state, thefirst switch 8 connects thefirst antenna function 2 to thefirst connection 7a of thebeamforming network 7. - In its first state, the
second switch 9b disconnects thesecond connection 7b of thebeamforming network 7 from both thesecond antenna 3 and thesecond radio chain 5, and in its second state, thesecond switch 9b connects thesecond connection 7b of thebeamforming network 7 to both thesecond antenna 3 and thesecond radio chain 5. - At a first mode of operation, each
switch first antenna function 2 is connected to thefirst radio chain 4 and disconnected from thebeamforming network 7, and thesecond antenna function 3 is connected tosecond radio chain 5. Thesecond connection 7b of thebeamforming network 7 is disconnected from thesecond antenna 3 and thesecond radio chain 5. - At a second mode of operation, each
switch first antenna function 2 is connected to thefirst connection 7a of thebeamforming network 7 and disconnected from thefirst radio chain 4, and thesecond connection 7b of thebeamforming network 7 is connected to thesecond antenna 3 and thesecond radio chain 5. - Thus, at the second mode of operation, the
antenna functions same radio chain 5, and by means of thebeamforming network 7 theuser terminal 1 is arranged to perform beamforming for theantenna functions - In this example, the
beamforming network 7 comprises aphase shifter 9, where acontrol unit 10 is arranged to control these via afirst control connection 12. The control unit is further arranged to control the switching network 6 and thesecond switch 9b via a correspondingsecond control connection 11 andthird control connection 13. - The
control unit 10 is arranged to perform control in dependence of the channel, where thecontrol unit 10 is connected to thefirst radio chain 4 and thesecond radio chain 5 via a correspondingfourth control connection 14 andfifth control connection 15. - According to one control alternative, the
user terminal 1 is in the first mode of operation and transmits, or receives, reference signals via bothantenna functions control unit 10 can decide to switch off thefirst radio chain 4, and connect bothantenna functions second radio chain 5 in accordance with the second mode of operation. - In this alternative, the second mode of operation comprises:
- connecting the antenna functions 2, 3 to the
second radio chain 5, and - connecting the antenna functions 2, 3 to the
first radio chain 4 and thesecond radio chain 5, respectively, transmitting or receiving reference signals via bothantenna functions - The second mode of operation thus comprises switching back to the first mode of operation for relatively short time periods in order to transmit or receive reference signals via both
antenna functions - Based on these reference signals, the
control unit 10 can choose to switch back to the first mode of operation. - According to another control alternative, the user has no need of high data rates. Then the
control unit 10 can choose to switch to the second mode of operation until higher data rates are required. - According to yet another control alternative, a user wants to have low power consumption in the
user terminal 1 and therefore manually decides to always use the second mode of operation. -
Figure 2 exemplifies how the beamforming network can be used when the user terminal is working according to the second mode of operation, which means that bothantenna functions second radio chain 5. The user terminal, represented by itsradiation pattern 23, is communicating with afirst base station 24 and receives an interference signal from asecond base station 25. Thephase shifter 9 is used to steer the resultingradiation pattern 23 of the two antenna functions such that it faces thefirst base station 24 and faces away from thesecond base station 25, which will be discussed more in detail below. - In order to obtain the desired result, a number of phase settings of the
phase shifter 9 are tested, which will result in different shapes of theradiation pattern 23. It is desirable to achieve a radiation pattern that has high gain towards thefirst base station 24, which the user terminal communicates with, and low gain towards thesecond base station 25 that interferes with the user terminal. The performance of the communication link between thefirst base station 24 and the user terminal is improved significantly. - An alternative way to find the phase setting is to use numerical optimization to maximize the SINR, e.g. a gradient search.
- Other metrics such as rank indicator or CQI may be used to check the quality of the communication link.
- The present invention can be implemented in any wireless device that has more than one antenna and more than one radio. For example, if there are four antenna functions and four radio chains, all four antenna functions could be connected to one radio chain while three radio chains are turned off and thus energy is saved. Another alternative is to connect two antenna functions to one radio chain and the two remaining antenna functions to another radio while two radio chains are turned off to save energy.
- This will be described more with reference to
Figure 3 showing a second example of a more general character. Here, a node such as a user terminal 1' comprises afirst antenna function 15, asecond antenna function 16, athird antenna function 17 and afourth antenna function 18. The node further comprises a switching network 6' and a beamforming network 7' and also afirst radio chain 19, asecond radio chain 20, athird radio chain 21 and a fourth radio chain 22. The node 1' also comprises a control unit as in the first example above, which is not shown for reasons of clarity. Here, the second switch of the first example should be understood to be implemented in the beamforming network 7', which of course will be constituted by three switches here. - Three different states are indicated, where the first state corresponds to the first mode of operation according to the first example above and the second state and third state correspond to the second mode of operation according to the first example above
- In a first state, as indicated with solid lines between the beamforming network 7' and the
radio chains radio chains - In a second state, as indicated with dashed lines between the beamforming network 7' and the
radio chains second radio chain 20, thethird radio chain 21 and the fourth radio chain 22, thefirst radio chain 19 being disconnected and turned off. - In a third state, as indicated with dot-dashed lines between the beamforming network 7' and the
radio chains third radio chain 21 and the fourth radio chain 22, thefirst radio chain 19 and thesecond radio chain 20 being disconnected and turned off. - The control alternatives discussed above regarding control of the switching network are of course applicable for the second example, as well as for any configuration which uses the present invention.
- Turning off a radio in a
mobile phone 1 is equivalent to reducing the SINR on that antenna port in a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) system. Therefore, a mobile system utilizing MIMO communication regards this as if the number of possible streams is reduced and acts accordingly. Therefore, the proposed concept implemented in auser terminal 1 does not require any changes in the mobile system. - With reference to
Figure 4 , the present invention also refers to a method in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps: - 101: at least at the start of a first mode of operation, connecting antenna functions to corresponding radio chains, each antenna function being connected to a corresponding radio chain,
- 102: at least at the start of a second mode of operation, disconnecting at least one antenna function from its corresponding radio chain;
- 103: connecting said at least one disconnected antenna function to another of said corresponding radio chains via at least a part of a beamforming network, such that at least two antenna functions, at least at the start of the second mode of operation, are connected to the same radio chain; and
- 104: using said beamforming network to perform beamforming for said at least two antenna functions.
- The invention is not limited to the examples above, but may vary freely within the scope of the appended claims. For example, those radio chains from which an antenna function is disconnected, may, or may not, be turned off.
- It should be noted that although certain switch states are apparent at a certain mode of operation, these should generally be regarded to be apparent at least at the start of a certain mode of operation.
- Preferably, the first mode of operation corresponds to MIMO communication.
- An extension to using just one phase shifter is to use two phase shifters and a hybrid combiner in a configuration as the "phase-to-power converter". In this way, both the phase and amplitude of the two antenna functions can be controlled by the means of two phase shifters.
- The
beamforming network 7, 7' may have any suitable form and may comprise any suitable components in dependence of the number of antenna functions and radio chains. For example, thebeamforming network 7 is shown comprising anattenuator 9a. - The switching network 6 is described as only comprising one
switch 8. Of course the number and configuration of switches in the switching network 6 may vary in dependence of the number of antenna functions and radio chains. The switches may be realized in any suitable technology, preferably semiconductor technology. - The examples above refer to a node or a user terminal, where a node is the most general term. A node may refer to any type of user terminal such as a mobile phone or a laptop. A node may also refer to any type of installation such as a base station or repeater station.
- The
second switch 9b is used for isolating thesecond antenna function 3 from thesecond connection 7b of thebeamforming network 7. This isolation may not be necessary, and may also be accomplished in other suitable ways. The second switch or corresponding switches may, as indicated in the second example, be comprised in the beamforming network 7'. - The switching network 6 and the
beamforming network 7, 7' may be comprised in one common unit. - The control alternatives discussed regarding how to control the switch states are only examples of how such a control may be performed. Many other types of control are of course conceivable.
- The present invention relates to switching off one or more radios in a node, while maintaining the benefits of having access to all antennas. How the beamforming or combining of the antennas is performed is not within the scope of the present invention, although some examples regarding how to find the desired phase settings are provided in the description. These should of course only be regarded as examples. There should be at least two antenna functions and at least two radio chains in the node.
- The antenna functions may have any suitable form depending on the present application. In a mobile phone, an antenna function may be constituted by a small meandered transmission line, and in a base station it may comprise an array antenna.
Claims (14)
- A node (1) for a wireless communication system, the node (1) comprising at least a first antenna (2), a second antenna (3), a first radio chain (4) and a second radio chain (5), where, at least at the start of a first state of operation, each antenna (2, 3) is connected to a corresponding radio chain (4, 5), wherein the node further comprises a switching network (6) and a beamforming network (7), which switching network (6), at least at the start of a second state of operation, is arranged to disconnect at least one antenna (2) from its corresponding radio chain (4) and to connect said at least one disconnected antenna (2) to another of said corresponding radio chains (5) via at least a part of the beamforming network (7), such that at least two antenna (2, 3) are connected to the same radio chain (5) at least at the start of the second state of operation, where the node (1) is arranged to perform beamforming for said at least two antenna (2, 3) by means of said beamforming network (7), where the switching network (6) is arranged to switch between the first state and the second state,
characterized in that
said disconnected radio chain is turned off, at least at the start of the second state of operation. - A node according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of radio chains and antenna is equal, where, in the first state of operation, only one antenna is connected to each radio chain.
- A node according to any one of the previous claims,
characterized in that the beamforming network (7) comprises at least one phase shifter (9). - A node according to any one of the previous claims,
characterized in that the beamforming network comprises at least one attenuator (9a). - A node according to any one of the previous claims,
characterized in that the node further comprises a control unit (10), which is arranged to control the switching network (6) and the beamforming network (7). - A node according to claim 5, characterized in that the control unit (10) is arranged to control the switching network (6) and the beamforming network (7) in dependence of the channel.
- A node according to any one of the previous claims,
characterized in that those radio chains (4) from which an antenna (2) is disconnected, are turned off. - A node according to any one of the previous claims,
characterized in that, in the second state of operation, the control unit is arranged to switch back to the first state of operation allowing a measurement of the channel to be performed. - A node according to any one of the previous claims,
characterized in that the first state of operation corresponds to MIMO, Multiple Input Multiple Output, communication. - A method in a node for a wireless communication system, the method comprising the step:(101) at the start of a first state of operation, connecting antenna to corresponding radio chains, each antenna being connected to a corresponding radio chain,(102) at the start of a second state of operation, disconnecting at least one antenna from its corresponding radio chain;(103) connecting said at least one disconnected antenna to another of said corresponding radio chains via at least a part of a beamforming network, such that at least two antenna at the second state of operation are connected to the same radio chain; and(104) using said beamforming network to perform beamforming for said at least two antenna functions;characterized in that
said disconnected radio chain is turned off, at least at the start of the second state of operation. - A method according to claim 10, characterized in that the number of radio chains and antenna is equal, where, in the first state of operation, only one antenna is connected to each radio chain.
- A method according to any one of the claims 10-11,
characterized in that the beamforming network (7) uses at least one phase shifter (9) and/or at least one attenuator (9a). - A method according to any one of the claims 10-12,
characterized in that the switching network (6) and the beamforming network (7) are controlled in dependence of the channel. - A method according to any one of the claims 10-13,
characterized in that, in the second state of operation, a measurement of the channel is performed by switching back to the first state of operation.
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PCT/EP2010/058243 WO2011154053A1 (en) | 2010-06-11 | 2010-06-11 | A node in a communication system with switchable antenna functions |
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EP (1) | EP2580811B1 (en) |
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BR (1) | BR112012029071B1 (en) |
DK (1) | DK2580811T3 (en) |
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US20130079047A1 (en) | 2013-03-28 |
WO2011154053A1 (en) | 2011-12-15 |
EP2580811A1 (en) | 2013-04-17 |
US9031519B2 (en) | 2015-05-12 |
BR112012029071B1 (en) | 2021-09-14 |
CN102918707B (en) | 2016-09-14 |
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CN102918707A (en) | 2013-02-06 |
KR101686697B1 (en) | 2016-12-14 |
DK2580811T3 (en) | 2018-07-02 |
US9654198B2 (en) | 2017-05-16 |
PT2580811T (en) | 2018-06-12 |
BR112012029071A2 (en) | 2016-08-16 |
US20150215024A1 (en) | 2015-07-30 |
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